


mine

by hufflebee



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Family, Fluff, Getting Together, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-01-31 22:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12691230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hufflebee/pseuds/hufflebee
Summary: “If you need help with anything, let me know,” Maia says, barely getting the words out before the bells above the front door chime through the shop and Maia is on her feet, waving at them as she makes her way to the front.“She’s single, as far as I know,” Alec says casually, taking a sip of his coffee. Izzy raises an eyebrow at him, and they stare at each other like they’re trying to see who blinks first.“She’s very interwoven into our circle of people, meaning casual hookups could get very messy, and you know I don’t do relationships,” Izzy says after a few moments, kind of hating that she cracked first.(a maia/izzy mundane au based on/inspired by taylor swift's "mine")





	1. chapter one

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: hufflebee.tumblr.com

_[Verse 1]_

_You were in college, working part-time, waiting tables_

_Left a small town and never looked back_

_I was a flight risk, with a fear of falling_

_Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts_

 

* * *

 

Saturday morning finds Alec and Izzy walking through the streets of New York, navigating the endless crowds of people either looking up at the building surrounding them or looking straight ahead, cutting through the crowd with expertise. Izzy loves being in the city, loves the constant hustle and bustle of it, loves the energy that drives her forward, wakes her up better than anything. She follows Alec as best she can, and after a few minutes, he stops in front of a small coffee shop. It hardly stands out from other coffee shops in New York, and there are only a handful of people inside, which is quite peculiar for a Saturday morning. Still, Alec steps forward and opens the door for Izzy, soft bells signaling their arrival.

As soon as the door shuts behind them, the noise of the city quieting just a bit, Izzy takes in the worn armchairs and sofas, the dark brown bookshelf lined with cracked spines, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and immediately understands why Alec insisted on bringing her here.

Alec slowly guides her to a table near the back, and Izzy settles into the leather couch as Alec sits down on a yellow vintage-looking armchair. He glances at the menu for only a second before handing it over to Izzy. She flips through the brownish pages, reads through the specials, and just as she is setting the menu back down, a figure appears by their table.

The first thing Izzy notices is the girl’s bright, sunshine smile spread across her face, making it impossible for her not to smile back. The second thing is that the girl is absolutely stunning, dark skin covering toned arms, black jeans skin tight on her legs. As Izzy’s gaze travels back to the girl’s face, she finds shining brown eyes looking back, the girl’s smile now more of a smirk.

“Maia, hi, I wasn’t sure you were working today.”

The girl – Maia- looks away from Izzy, her eyes landing on Alec as she says, “Hi, Alec. Yeah, I work almost every Saturday. How have you been?”

“Good, busy, as usual,” he says. “Maia, this is my sister Isabelle. Izzy, this is Maia, she just moved here.”

The name clicks then, and Izzy asks, “You moved in with Luke and Clary a couple weeks back, right?”

“Yeah, Luke’s an old family friend and when I got into Columbia, he forcefully, with a lot of love, invited me to make use of their guest bedroom,” Maia says, a fond smile on her face. “Now, what can I get you two?”

Alec orders a latte, as does Izzy, and Maia nods before making her way back. Izzy watches after her, only snapping out of it when Alec clears his throat beside her. She sees him raise an eyebrow at her, earning him a swat on the arm. Izzy then asks about Magnus, not only because of genuine curiosity, but she also knows that bringing up his boyfriend is the most foolproof way of getting her brother to forget about anything else in the world. And sure enough, he lights up, eyes bright, smile blinding as he tells her about the funding one of Magnus’ new drug trials got approved for. She makes a mental note to call Magnus later, because as much as Alec knows about Magnus’ work in the pharmaceutical company, there is only so much he can tell her about the science behind it.

“Here we go, one latte for Magnus’ favorite human, and another for the lovely lady he brought along.”

Maia sets down their drinks, and after a quick glance around the coffee shop, sits down beside Izzy. The couch is on the smaller side, and Maia’s knee presses against Izzy’s, making Izzy acutely aware of that specific spot on her body.

“Hey, I was thinking of maybe surprising Magnus with a small get-together at our place, to celebrate the funding he got,” Alec says. “Are you two free Friday night?”

“You are so in love with him, I cannot even stand it,” Maia says with a smile. “And yeah, I’m free.”

“Me too,” Izzy says.

“Great, I’ll call Luke to see if he can keep Magnus busy while I set everything up, and the rest of you get there,” Alec says, brimming with excitement, and while Izzy loves teasing him on how gone he is for Magnus, she is infinitely happy for him. Up until Alec had met Magnus, she was sure love wasn’t something that happened to real people, wasn’t something that lasted, but there was no way you could see Alec and Magnus together and not feel like you were looking into a fairytale. But still, growing up with their parents being the way they were, and last year finding out their father had been cheating on their mother, love wasn’t something Izzy saw in the cards for herself.

“If you need help with anything, let me know,” Maia says, barely getting the words out before the bells above the front door chime through the shop and Maia is on her feet, waving at them as she makes her way to the front.

“She’s single, as far as I know,” Alec says casually, taking a sip of his coffee. Izzy raises an eyebrow at him, and they stare at each other like they’re trying to see who blinks first.

“She’s very interwoven into our circle of people, meaning casual hookups could get very messy, and you know I don’t do relationships,” Izzy says after a few moments, kind of hating that she cracked first.

“I know, I know,” Alec says.

“Now that that’s settled, how is the publishing industry these days?”

 

* * *

 

The next week goes by in a blur of classes and labs, homework and library sessions, and by Friday night, Izzy is almost giddy with excitement to actually have some place to go that isn’t campus. She puts on a leather pants and a black top, does the bare minimum with her makeup, deciding that red lipstick will be enough to fool almost everyone that she is entirely put together. Her hair falls in loose waves from when she curled it yesterday, and she grabs her bag and jacket before she leaves. She takes a cab to Alec and Magnus’, and knocks lightly when she reaches their apartment.

“Hi,” Alec says as he opens the door, and immediately dashes back inside. Izzy steps in, closing the door behind her, and takes in the few balloon bundles placed around the living room, the glasses and bottles neatly placed on the kitchen counter, the honest to God “congratulations” banner above the windows. She glances over at Alec, who is apparently very into decorating the cake on the counter, so she decides to leave him to it and makes her way towards Clary and Simon who chatting in the corner with a Catarina, Magnus’ old friend from high school.

“Izzy, hi!” Simon and Clary greet her almost simultaneously, and Clary leans over to hug her. They’ve known each other for a while now, thanks to Magnus and Alec, but lately college has been taking up all their time, so it’s been a while since she last saw them and she didn’t realize how much she’d actually missed them until now. She shakes hands with Cat, and asks, “Where’s Dot?”

“She’s home. I swear, that woman cannot go anywhere without getting sick. We had just gotten back from our anniversary trip on Sunday and she woke up with a fever on Monday.”

“Lucky for her, she married a nurse,” Simon says, nudging Cat with a wink. They all listen intently as Cat goes into all the ER adventures of the past little while and just as she is telling them about the latest drunk that stumbled into the ER last night when Alec appears beside them.

“You guys okay here? Sorry, I’m being a terrible host,” Alec says, sounding frantic, his eyes going over the apartment.

“We’re good, relax,” Izzy reassures him. “Hey, he’s going to love it, okay?”

Alec takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a few beats, but then the doorbell rings again, sending him back into a frenzy. He moves quickly, and carefully looks through the peephole before opening the door. A guy about Izzy’s age is standing there along with a seemingly older guy, and Izzy recognizes both of them from Magnus’ last birthday party, Raphael and Ragnor. Alec ushers them inside, shaking hands with both of them.

“Okay, Luke texted a little bit ago, he says he and Magnus are almost done at the gym so they should be here in about half an hour,” Alec says to no one in particular, pacing around the living room. “Jace had to work, Dot is sick, Maia said she’d be late, so that’s everyone here. The cake is done….”

He continues mumbling to himself as he circles the room, fixing up balloons and glasses, and Izzy smiles fondly at him throughout it. After he checks on the kitchen, he joins everyone and they settle onto the couch and armchairs, catching up on work and school stories. Half an hour passes by in a flash, and then the door rings.

Alec jumps to his feet, and Izzy swears she sees him take a few deep breaths before he opens the door, revealing Luke and Magnus on the other side.

“Surprise!”

They hadn’t really planned to say anything, so the volume and timing is off, but she thinks Magnus hardly notices. His eyes are wide, his expression totally disbelieving, as he seems to take in the state of the living room and the group of people inside it. Finally, his gaze settles on Alec, looking at him like he hung the moon and all of the stars.

“Surprise,” Alec says, his voice soft and almost too quiet, and despite the hint of nerves in it, he’s smiling at Magnus, wide and bright. Magnus throws his arms around Alec, causing the rest of them to applaud and cheer. Luke makes his way inside to greet everyone, and they all turn away to give Alec and Magnus a moment.

Izzy immediately falls into conversation with Luke about his latest case, bombarding him with questions on the forensic evidence. He answers the best he can without giving away something he shouldn’t from a still ongoing case, and Izzy finds herself yet again reassured that choosing forensic pathology was exactly the right thing for her. Magnus walks up to them after a few minutes, stepping up to hug Izzy.

“Congratulations,” she says as they part.

“Thank you, Isabelle, and thank you for being here,” he says, smiling at her. “It means a lot to me, all of this does.”

“You deserve it, my friend, this is huge,” Luke says, squeezing Magnus’ shoulder as he does. “I do hope that there’s food, I had to throw in extra sets to give Alec enough time to set this up.”

As if on cue, Alec walks over to them, a tray of various finger foods in his hands. Magnus looks at the tray, then at Alec, and says in the most serious, awed voice, “I love you.”

Izzy and Luke burst out laughing, and even Alec breathes out a soft laugh before kissing Magnus on the cheek. The three of them each take something from the tray before Alec moves over to the rest of the guests. They talk about Magnus’ new drug trial, about Izzy’s courses, all in between snapping up more food whenever Alec walks by them, and for the next hour they all mix and mingle, talking and eating, joking and drinking.

Izzy is just talking to Simon about his search for a new drummer when the doorbell rings, and then Maia is there, making Izzy lose all thought. She’s dressed in a yellow velvet top, her arms on display as she takes of her jacket, and her legs miles long in black jeans and heeled booties. She smiles brightly at Magnus, hugging him in greeting before doing the same with Alec, and she’s like a shining star, a supernova, and Izzy cannot look away.

“Earth to Izzy.”

Simon’s hand in front of her face brings her out of her daze, and she looks back at him, feeling her cheeks warm slightly. He raises an eyebrow at her and glances over to Maia before saying, “She’s single, you know. And into girls.”

“Not you, too,” Izzy mumbles. Simon grins at her, but before she can say anything else, Maia is there, bringing Simon in for a hug.

“How’s my favorite musician?”

“In desperate need of a drummer.”

Maia laughs, a soft, musical sound, and then turns to Izzy, giving her a nod and saying, “Hi, Izzy.”

“Hey.”

It’s awkward in a way that’s normal for two people who are not really friends; yet it makes something heavy settle in Izzy’s stomach. Thankfully, Simon continues his saga of the drummer hunt after quickly filling Maia in on what she missed. She listens intently, a fond look on her face as Simon starts waving his arms around to accompany the story.

“Can I have everyone’s attention?”

They all turn to Magnus, who is standing by the counter, Alec right by his side. He raises his champagne glass and says, “Thank you all for coming. It means the world to me that you’re all here to celebrate this accomplishment. And, of course, thank you to this wonderful man for putting this all together.”

He turns to Alec, placing a hand over Alec’s heart, the brightest smile on his face. Alec mouths an ‘I love you’ and kisses Magnus softly.

“And now, time for cake!”

The statement is met with a loud cheer, and Magnus goes into the kitchen to cut the cake. Alec and Izzy take on the task of distributing the plates to everyone, and by the time Izzy takes her piece, the only seat available is next to Maia. She sits down, immediately taking a bite of the chocolate cake, and she lets out a soft hum of content as the rich flavor fills her mouth. Maia chuckles beside her, and Izzy only takes a second away from the cake to give her a small smile. They eat in silence, as does almost everyone, with only the occasional compliment thrown at Alec, said through a mouthful of chocolate.

After she finishes her cake, Izzy gets up to collect everyone’s plates, quickly joined by Maia, and they shush both Magnus and Alec when they start protesting. Once in the kitchen, Izzy and Maia easily fall into rinsing the plates and getting them into the dishwasher, and as Izzy rinses the second plate, she asks, “How are you liking New York?”

“So far, so good, I only visited a few times before moving here, but it clicks very well with me,” she says. “School is kicking my butt, though, so I haven’t had much time to explore.”

“Columbia, right?”

“Yeah, marine biology. I did some of it online and then I got in starting with this semester. What about you?”

“Med school currently, but the end goal is becoming a forensic pathologist.”

“Wow,” Maia says. “From what I’ve heard, that’s a lot of years and a lot of work, so you’re either super smart or out of your mind.”

“Little bit of both.”

Maia laughs at that, and Izzy catches herself wanting to make her laugh again, a feeling she shoves away as quickly as it had come up. They finish up in silence, and just as they’re making their way back to the living room, Maia asks, “How are you with chemistry?”

“Top of my class each time I had it, why?”

“I’ve been having some trouble with it, and Magnus has been helping when he could, but with this new trial, I don’t want to cut into his very limited spare time. So, I was wondering if you might be up for enlightening me on some things?”

While Izzy knows Maia would respect whatever answer she gives, and while she knows her workload isn’t really designed for a social life, Izzy finds herself already calculating when she could fit this into her schedule. She’s done some tutoring before, so it wouldn’t be new, and it would help her refresh on some things, and Maia is still new to the city, finding a good tutor is a hassle, and while all of that is true, Izzy knows that she also just wants to get to know Maia a bit better.

The why behind that is something she refuses to touch right now, so she smiles at Maia and says, “Yeah, of course, do you want to type in my number?”

 

* * *

 

Izzy bundles herself up in her scarf as she makes her way to the coffee shop after her last class on the following Wednesday. The sun is already setting, and yet this is the earliest she gets out of class all week, so that’s when she and Maia had decided to meet up. She’s carrying another tote bag of books along with her backpack, and people keep bumping into her, annoyance rising in her throat a bit more each time. She’s usually used to this, barely pays it any mind, but she’s cold and tired, hasn’t eaten since noon, and all she wants to do is go to her little shoebox apartment.

But she’s made a promise, and she is a woman of her word.

The fact that she’s been looking forward to seeing Maia again has absolutely nothing to do with it, not at all.

Another ten minutes later, she’s entering the coffee shop, breathing out a content sigh at the warmth that immediately envelops her. She looks around for Maia, finding her at the table she and Alec had shared last time. Similarly to Izzy, Maia is bundled up in a soft looking white sweater, a black scarf loose around her neck, and she’s leaning over the table filled with papers and textbooks, completely unaware of the world around her.

Izzy makes her way over to Maia, and it’s only when she sits down opposite her that Maia looks up. The adorably startled expression transforms into a bright smile, and Izzy is suddenly very glad to be right here.

“Hi.” “Hi.”

Maia starts collecting her papers into a singular pile as Izzy takes out her old chemistry notes and texts she found at home.

“Isabelle?”

Izzy turns at the familiar voice, finding Meliorn standing by her. He’s dressed in dark green and black, a single blue strand in his long dark hair, his eyes just as bright as Izzy remembered them. They were friends in high school, and then they were something that they never labeled, which turned into something that could only be labeled as a mess. There had been a few months during senior year where they hadn’t so much as greeted each other in hallways, but eventually they’d sat down and talked it out, something Izzy had always found was a good decision. Because even though they only talk sporadically now that high school is over, knowing they hadn’t left things unresolved brought Izzy peace of mind, closure on the first person she had had any sort of feelings for.

“Meliorn, hi,” she gets up and gives him a brief hug. “How are you?”

“Good, I’m actually here waiting for a date,” he says, and Izzy happily finds that nothing about that makes her feel anything but excited for him.

“First date or?”

“Second, actually. How have you been?”

“Good, just really busy with school. And I hope you continue your date streak. By the way, this is Maia,” Izzy says, gesturing to her, and Maia gives a small wave. “This is Meliorn, we went to high school together.”

“Nice to meet you,” Maia says and Meliorn echoes the statement before he continues, “I’ll let you two get back to work, but we should catch up some time.”

“Yeah, I’ll text you,” Izzy says. Meliorn waves at them as he makes his way to a small table by the bookshelves. Izzy turns back to Maia just as a waitress comes by. She takes Izzy’s order before walking away, leaving Maia and Izzy alone.

“You look tired,” Maia comments, and Izzy just shrugs it off as she finally untangles herself from her scarf and jacket. She uses the hair tie around her wrist to tie her hair up in a loose ponytail before saying, “I’m a med student. I always look tired.”

Maia chuckles quietly at that, though she’s still eying Izzy with concern as Izzy starts sorting through the papers she brought over.

“I’m fine, relax. Now, do you have notes from your lectures or a syllabus or something?”

Maia hands her a spiral notebook, saying the syllabus is on the first page, and they go through the topics, Maia pointing out things she needs help with. Izzy nods along, happy that she brought her notes, because most of this stuff is in them. She tells Maia this and starts flipping through her papers, when Maia says, “Is that Raphael?”

Izzy turns around, completely forgoing being subtle, and sees that Raphael is indeed entering the coffee shop. He doesn’t seem to notice them, his eyes landing on another table, and Izzy’s jaw drops when he makes his way over to Meliorn.

“Huh, small world,” Maia says, clearly amused, and Izzy turns back, still struck by this new knowledge. Meliorn had never really been shy about his bisexuality, but then again, he had never been shy in general, about anything. And it’s that that makes him apparently dating Raphael, who always seems to keep to himself, such a surprise for Izzy.

“Meliorn isn’t like the high school sweetheart that got away, is he?” Maia’s question breaks Izzy out of her thoughts, and she recovers quickly when she registers Maia’s question.

“No, I mean, not really. We did kind of date for a bit, if you could call what we had dating, but it wasn’t anything serious,” Izzy says. “Pining and reconnecting with a high school sweetheart is a bit too romcom for me.”

“Maybe, but not all romcoms are bad.”

“But all of the are unrealistic.”

Maia studies her for a moment, before saying, “Not big on the whole romance thing, I see. Which seems odd considering your brother practically radiates love in the mere proximity of Magnus.”

Izzy lets out a quiet laugh at that. It sounds like something she would say, and she’s glad she’s not the only one who sees it so clearly.

“What Alec and Magnus have is special, that kind of love isn’t in the cards for everyone.”

Maia says nothing else, probably sensing the mountain of private thoughts and memories hidden behind Izzy’s words, definitely hearing how Izzy includes herself in that statement, and for a moment, Izzy feels awful for making this awkward. She’s not exactly reserved, or timid, and whenever the topic of relationships comes up, she steers clear, brushing off intrusive questions in a true Izzy fashion. With Maia, though, she doesn’t want to be harsh, especially because Maia’s given her no reason to be. But after a moment Maia just leans over, and says, “Maybe we could start with Chapter 2 and go from there.”


	2. chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because now all Izzy can think about is Maia’s smile, her bright eyes, the way Izzy instantly felt drawn to her when they first met. All she can think about is how twice tonight already, she had been so close to kissing her. All she can think about is how much she wants that.
> 
> But she can’t have it; she knows that, because kissing is never just kissing, especially with someone who makes your insides light up just by touching your hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first off, thank you again for all the comments on the first chapter, you're all angels and i love you a whole lot <3 secondly, this ended up coming together a lot quicker than i planned and i get really excited about sharing this story hence chapter 2 being up!
> 
> with that said, i do have quite a busy week ahead so chapter 3 will most likely take longer to post.
> 
> i hope you enjoy this update and i wish you all a lovely day!
> 
> tumblr: hufflebee.tumblr.com

The next few weeks serve as a sort of adjustment period, both Izzy and Maia getting into the swing of working together, finding time to meet up. It’s after their third session that Izzy asks if Maia would be up for going to the library the following day.

“Not for chem, I just have a lot of work to do and I find long library days more bearable with company.”

And that’s how their tutoring sessions start intertwining with their study sessions, because as it turns out, they work really well together. When one of them is feeling off and frustrated, the other helps her get back into her work. They quiz each other, which for Izzy works a lot better than it does when Alec quizzes her, since Maia has a better understanding of Izzy’s answers. Chemistry is still frustrating for Maia, but she’s gotten better, and it became clear rather quickly that she was just missing some fundamentals, so when they got those down, things got a lot easier. Clary and Simon join them from time to time, but mostly it’s just Izzy and Maia, surrounded by piles of textbooks and papers, pens and highlighters.

One of those times, on a rather sunny Saturday morning Izzy hates to have to spend inside, she is staring out the window, hoping the lab report currently spread out in front of her will somehow magically write itself. She looks over at Maia, who has her headphones on while she’s doing a practice chemistry quiz, and the sun coming in through the windows catches so beautifully on her hair and skin, making her appear almost angelic. Izzy shakes her head, and turns back to her work, and after only a few minutes sees Maia taking her headphones off.

“Can you look over this?”

She hands Izzy the paper and Izzy checks it, finding only a few mistakes that they then go over.

“You’ll kick ass on your final, I’m sure of it,” Izzy says, and Maia smiles at her, just as bright as always, and Izzy can’t help but smile back just as widely. They work for a bit longer after that before they hit a point where both of them are just staring out the window more so than studying. Maia suggest that they go to Central Park, maybe grab some coffees on their walk there, and Izzy eagerly agrees, more than ready to take advantage of the sunshine outside. They stop at a coffee shop a block away from Central Park, before Maia silently leads them into the park, and they soon make their way to a bench by the lake. They both sit down, and the silence that settles is only broken by the sounds of the crowded park around them, and yet it’s not awkward. Really, that shouldn’t be surprising, considering most of their time together is spent in silence, but Izzy still feels a smile spreading across her face as she takes in the wonderful stillness of this moment.

“The first time I visited New York, Luke took me and Clary here, well, maybe not this exact bench, but you get my point,” Maia says after a bit, and glances over at Izzy, her eyes unsure until Izzy nods at her to continue. Maia then tells Izzy about Clary falling while chasing a butterfly, about the best ice cream in the world that Luke took them to afterwards. She tells her about how she loves coming here after classes if it’s still light out, just to get away from the hustle and bustle of college. In turn, Izzy tells Maia about how when Alec was teaching her how to ride a bike, she had gotten too confident too quickly and ended up with stitches on her elbow, something that seemed to scare Alec a lot more than it did Izzy.

After that, they kind of start incorporating down time into their study sessions as well. They walk from the library or the coffee shop to whosever subway station is closer, sometimes they go back to the lake, and they start texting about more than just meeting times and places. Sometimes they talk about their days or share childhood stories, and sometimes it’s more like playing 20 questions in between taking notes and highlighting textbooks.

“Favorite book?”

“ _Jane Eyre_. Favorite person?”

“Alec. Worst date ever?”

“This girl that took me to a movie only because her ex was working that night and she wanted to make her jealous. First kiss?”

“7th grade, his name was Sam.”

Slowly but surely, Izzy realizes how much she looks forward to seeing Maia, hearing from her; realizes that they’re become actual friends. Even though Alec sill raises an eyebrow at her whenever she mentions Maia, he doesn’t push it, which Izzy is thankful for. Because while she knows that she and Maia are just friends, she also knows she is incapable of lying to Alec.

And if he asked her outright if she had feelings for Maia, she wasn’t sure what the answer would be.

* * *

 

Izzy always looks forward to going home after class, especially so on this rainy, gloomy Friday, the sun just barely starting to peek out from behind the clouds, her bag heavy on her shoulder, exhaustion sinking into her bones. She’s barely inside the door of her apartment when her phone rings, Maia’s name lighting up the screen. Without even realizing it, a smile tugs on the corners of Izzy’s mouth, and she shakes her head as if it’s that easy, and answers the phone.

“Hello?”

“I got a 95 on my final!”

Izzy whoops with joy, tossing her bag onto the couch. Maia had had her chemistry final a few days ago and had promised to call as soon as she got her results in.

“Congratulations,” Izzy says, flopping down onto the couch beside her bag.

“Thank you, but really, I couldn’t have done it without you,” Maia says. “Which is why I am taking you out to dinner tonight, if you’re up for it.”

Izzy says yes without much thought, and by the time they agree on all the details and hang up, her smile is bigger than it has been in days. The pile of work on her desk catches her eye, the dirty dishes in the sink from the past few days, and she feels like she could sleep for a week straight, but none of that makes her even think to reconsider the dinner with Maia.

 

By the time 6:30 rolls around, though, Izzy feels like a hot mess. She’s been trying to get as much work done as she could before she had to start getting ready, but her thoughts seemed to constantly jump and race. It had occurred to her that this would be the first time she and Maia hung out outside of any studying or tutoring, which shouldn’t make her nervous, and yet it does. She’d find herself pondering on what to wear, and then mentally kicking herself for worrying about it. She’s finishing up her hair, letting the last curl fall from the wand, when her phone rings, this time Alec’s name glowing at her.

“Hello, big brother.”

“Hi, Iz. How are you holding up, exams going okay?”

Izzy smiles fondly, her heart warming at her brother’s concern, and she says, “I feel like I’ll have to sleep through half the summer to feel human again, but so far everything is under control.”

“You need sleep, Izzy. And food, don’t forget to eat.”

“I am a fully functioning adult, you know,” she says, her tone light and teasing.

“I know, I know, I just worry.”

“And I love you for that. How are you, how’s Magnus?”

“I’m good, and Magnus is, too, but he’s been working a lot, he really wants this drug trial to work out perfectly and so many of the researchers are, I quote, ‘buffoons who probably got their degrees from the University of Dumbasses’, so he’s a bit on edge.”

Izzy laughs at that, and then Alec continues, “Speaking of Magnus, I was hoping you could help me with something, but I want it to stay between just us.”

“As always. Shoot.”

“How do you feel about going ring shopping with me next week?”

There is a beat of silence before Izzy screams into her phone, eyes momentarily tearing up, and she hears Alec laughing at the other end of the call.

“Oh my god, Alec, I am so happy for you!”

“I haven’t even asked him yet.”

“Like there is any doubt about what his answer will be. But seriously, Alec, this is amazing; you two are perfect for each other. So, did you have a specific day in mind?”

“Thank you, Izzy. Not really, I get out of the office around 4 or 5, so basically whichever day works for you after then.”

“I’ll have to double-check, but I think I can do Thursday.” Her doorbell rings then, signaling someone is out front, and Alec asks, “You having company?”

“No, that’s Maia, we’re going out to dinner to celebrate, she passed her chem final.”

“That’s great, congratulate her for me,” he says, and then his tone shifts, and Izzy can absolutely hear that he’s smirking as he says, “Have fun with Maia.”

Izzy rolls her eyes, even though he can’t see it, and says, “Bye, Alec. See you tomorrow.”

Izzy makes her way downstairs, and as soon as she opens the door of her building, the fresh air hitting her skin, she sees Maia and stops dead in her tracks. The sleeveless red top Maia is wearing fits her like a glove, tucked into the short white skirt that makes her legs stand out even more than usual, and she has her standard black booties on. Her hair is pinned back on one side, and she’s wearing a bit more makeup than usual, but her smile is as bright as ever.

“Hi,” Izzy breathes out, closing the distance between them and hugging Maia briefly. “And congrats again.”

“Thank you,” Maia says, and Izzy sees how her eyes run over Izzy’s entire body, and when Maia looks back at her, something settles into the space between them, something that Izzy had felt lurking in the background a few times, but never this close. Their eyes are on one another’s for a few more breaths, and then Maia says, “You look gorgeous.”

Izzy smiles and feels her cheeks warm, and says, “Right back at you.”

They decide to walk to the restaurant, and Maia excitedly talks about her final, thanking Izzy again and again, even though Izzy keeps assuring her that Maia was the one who made this happen. Maia asks about Alec, and Izzy grins at the memory of her phone call with him earlier, but only says that she talked to him right before she left her apartment.

“He told me to congratulate you, by the way,” she adds, and it earns her another bright smile. Soon enough, they reach the restaurant and Maia gives her name for the reservation, and the waitress guides them to a table near a window, passing by other tables occupied mostly by couples. The restaurant is a smaller one, and yet the tables are spread out to give everyone their space and the décor feels like a vintage living room of sorts, warm tones and plush chairs, low lighting aided by candles on the tables. They sit down, and the waitress hands them their menus as Maia orders them two glasses of champagne.

“We’re celebrating,” she says when Izzy raises an eyebrow at the order.

“How do you know about this place?”

“Luke suggested it, actually. Said he’d been here a few times over the past few months,” Maia says, and then leans in, her voice a whisper as she continues. “I’m pretty sure he’s seeing someone.”

“Really?” Izzy says, thinking back to the last few times she’d seen Luke. Now that Maia mentioned it, he did seem very cheery the last few times she saw him, but then again he was rarely in a bad mood. Still, given that Maia lived with him, she probably had a much better insight that Izzy. “Any theories on who?”

“Not really, he’s a cop so he’s very hard to get information out of,” Maia says, sounding adorably annoyed with the fact. “I think it’s someone Clary and I might know, because I feel like he would at least mention dating otherwise.”

“He probably just doesn’t want to involve you two, or Simon for that matter, until he’s sure it’s something serious.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m just nosy,” Maia says, smiling at Izzy. The waitress brings over their champagne and they order their food. As the waitress walks away, Maia raises her glass, waiting for Izzy to do the same before saying, “To passing chemistry without losing my mind.”

“Cheers,” Izzy says, and they clink their glasses softly before taking a sip. Izzy catches Maia watching her, and when she does, the feeling from earlier returns. It’s like a bubble forms around them, blocking out everything and everyone except the two of them, and Izzy feels a sort of tension rising, but she can’t bring herself to look away. The soft candlelight makes Maia look like she’s glowing, the shimmer around her eyes making them stand out even more, and the reddish color of her lips draws Izzy’s eyes to them, and it’s that that breaks Izzy out of the haze. She takes another sip of her champagne and says she’s going to the restroom, her voice barely sounding together.

Once the door of the ladies’ room closes behind her, Izzy leans against the sink, wishing she could splash water onto her face to clear her head. She checks her makeup, or at least pretends to, but then she notices something else. Despite the weeks’ worth of tiredness and stress, the severe lack of sleep, her eyes seem bright and alive, like someone lit a spark inside of her. She shakes her head, and thinks, _this isn’t a freaking romcom_. She fixes her hair a bit and leaves the restroom, rejoining Maia at the table.

“How are Simon and Clary? I feel like I haven’t talked to anyone in weeks,” Izzy says. Maia watches her for a moment, her eyebrows furrowed just slightly, the way they are when she’s looking at a question she’s not quite sure of the answer to. But the moment passes, her smile back in place and she gives Izzy a rundown of what’s going on with Simon and Clary, which are basically just finals and the seemingly never-ending search for a drummer.

“Simon mentioned that Raphael said he knew a guy, but then finals started so hopefully they can work that out over the summer.”

Their food arrives shortly after, and both the dishes look amazing. They each try one another’s meal, drink champagne and continue talking as they finish their food. Maia bursts out laughing when Izzy tells her how her youngest brother, Max, said he thinks Izzy becoming a doctor would be amazing because she could always write him notes for missing school.

“Was Alec there? Because I can totally picture the stern, big brother look on his face,” Maia says, barely getting the words out from laughter, laughter that only increases when Izzy nods. They order another glass of champagne each, talking and drinking, like they have all the time in the world.

Maia excuses herself to go to the restroom after a bit, leaving Izzy by herself as she sips on the last drops of her champagne. She feels warm and happy, her cheeks faintly sore from smiling, and then their waitress comes by, asking if they want dessert.

“I’m not sure, I’ll have to check with her when she gets back.”

“Quite all right,” she says, smiling brightly. “And I hope I’m not overstepping, but you two seem like a lovely couple.”

Oh.

The words hit Izzy like a ton of bricks, and before she can gather herself enough to respond, the waitress is gone, leaving Izzy in a whirlwind. A part of her, a logical, scientific part, can see how the waitress might have thought that, especially in a restaurant filled with so many other couples; can see how this looks so much like a date. And yet that does little to calm her down, her mind racing as much as her heart.

She barely notices Maia when she comes back, and when Izzy looks up, Maia is watching her with clear worry in her eyes.

“You okay?”

Izzy just nods, trying her best to smile, and she asks Maia about dessert. Again, Maia takes a moment to study her before responding.

“I’m good, I was actually hoping we could walk around the city a bit more, if you’re up for it.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

The waitress comes back then, and Maia asks for the check, her smile falling as soon as the waitress leaves. She reminds Izzy of Alec in that moment, the insistent gaze he gets when he knows something’s wrong.

“Isabelle, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I-” Izzy stops, knowing that Maia won’t believe her if she says yet again that she’s fine. “I just have a lot on my mind, and it can get to me sometimes, but it’s nothing for you to worry about, okay?”

“You sure you don’t want to go home then? I’ll understand, you know that.”

“Yeah, I’m sure, I promise.”

That seems to be enough for Maia, and she gives Izzy a small smile as she places a hand over Izzy’s on the table, squeezing lightly. A thousand sparks seem to light up Izzy’s fingers, and all she can think about is how warm and soft Maia’s fingers are, how she wants to feel those fingers across every inch of her skin. It scares the shit out of her, even more so because as the touch disappears when the waitress comes back and Maia reaches for her purse, she misses it instantly. Maia insists on paying, shushing Izzy’s protests in a true Maia fashion. They thank the waitress and make their way outside, falling into step with one another. Maia leads and doesn’t push for conversation, something Izzy is infinitely grateful for.

She lets herself watch Maia, and she thinks about the past few weeks that they’ve been friends, and realizes that even though she’d avoided Alec’s questions about Maia, the waitress' simple comment undid all of that burying and hiding. Because now all Izzy can think about is Maia’s smile, her bright eyes, the way Izzy instantly felt drawn to her when they first met. All she can think about is how twice tonight already, she had been so close to kissing her. All she can think about is how much she wants that.

But she can’t have it; she knows that, because kissing is never just kissing, especially with someone who makes your insides light up just by touching your hand.

She also knows that she doesn’t want what happened with Meliorn to happen with anyone, especially not Maia. She’s learned that she can’t do just sex, or _just_ anything, with someone she cares about outside of that, and she absolutely doesn’t want to string Maia along, doesn’t want to hurt her in any way, doesn’t want to hurt herself, either. Even more so because the thing with Meliorn hadn’t felt quite like this, nothing had, and some would say that is beautiful, that she’s found someone special, but for Izzy, it only means it would hurt like nothing else had before if it fell apart.

When it fell apart.

Maia has led them to the river, and she moves close to the railing, her eyes on the city, and after another few minutes, she stops, leaning on her arms. Izzy stands by her, hands on the railing, only a few inches of space between her fingers and Maia’s arm, space she is intensely aware of.

“Favorite book growing up?”

Maia’s voice is quiet, yet it still startles Izzy, brings her back out of her thoughts.

“ _Harry Potter_. Favorite band?”

“Queen. Worst fear?”

“Love.”

The word is out before Izzy can think about giving a different answer, and now it hangs between them, creating a whole different sort of tension. Izzy watches Maia out of the corner of her eye, and Maia doesn’t seem too surprised. If anything, she looks defeated, like she had expected the answer and yet hoped she was wrong.

“Favorite animal?” Izzy asks after a few moments, hoping to move on, make this less tense; just do _something_ to make Maia smile again.

“Wolves,” Maia says, but doesn’t offer another question, and the silence continues building between them yet again. Izzy hates it; hates that she can’t get herself out of her own head enough to enjoy this time with Maia.

“It’s getting late,” Maia says, and Izzy just nods, silently following Maia back towards the streets, finding that they are now closer to her apartment than the restaurant had been. Izzy wants to say something, but no words come to mind, no easy way to explain the mess inside her head at this moment. When they reach Izzy’s building, and then her street number, they stop, and Izzy watches Maia watching her, and says, “Thank you for tonight, I had a great time. And I’m sorry I wasn’t good company there at the end.”

“There’s no need to apologize, I get it,” Maia says. “And I hope you know that I’m here for you, whatever it is, whenever you feel like you want to share.”

It makes the knot in Izzy’s chest loosen just a bit, and she steps closer before slowly, hesitantly wrapping Maia into a hug, and the heaviness between them starts to dissolve further when Maia hugs her back, holding her tight. A warm feeling of safety washes over Izzy, and she suddenly feels like she could cry and know Maia wouldn’t let go.

“Text me when you get home, okay?” Izzy says after they part, and Maia nods, wishing her a goodnight. She turns away and Izzy walks up to the door of her building. She’s just about to turn the key when she hears Maia call out her name, and she turns to find her only a few steps down the street, biting her lip, and she seems to debate with herself for a moment before speaking, sure and determined.

“I know you won’t believe me, at least not right now, but love is worth the fear.”

With that, she turns and walks away, and Izzy is still watching after her when Maia reaches the corner, glancing back. Their eyes meet for a second, both of the looking away just as quickly, and then Maia is out of sight, leaving Izzy alone with her thoughts.


	3. chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so.. that took longer than expected.  
> i apologize for the wait, my midterms ended up causing way more stress and consuming way more time than i thought they would, but i hope you still enjoy this update and a new one will be coming soon!

Izzy makes her way downstairs to the front of her building, finding Alec already waiting for her. He looks up, a bright smile on his face and Izzy is struck with how much she’s truly missed him. Closing the distance between them, she hugs him tightly, mumbling a greeting into his chest as he laughs and squeezes her back.

“Ready?” he asks when she pulls away.

“Born ready.”

They make their way to the subway station, catching up as they walk. Alec has had a busy week at work, the summer releases piling up, but he talks about most of them with unwavering excitement, the same way he always has. Business school might have been their parents’ idea more so than his, but the minor in literature and making his way up in a publishing company, pushing forward books written by queer authors about queer characters; that was all Alec. And Izzy could not be more proud.

“How’s Magnus?” Izzy asks just as they got off the subway, and Alec lights up like he always does, eyes shining like stars, smile as wide as it gets, voice dripping with pride as he tells her how the results are promising, and that even though he’s exhausted, Magnus is extremely happy with how everything is turning out.

“The first cycle of trials will be done next week, so we booked a cabin for the weekend, just to get away from work and the city for at least a couple of days.”

“Are you gonna do it then?”

“I’m planning to. Honestly, after I told you, it became a bit more real. We’ve talked about it quite a few times, and we both want to get married, adopt kids, the whole thing, but buying a ring, even planning on buying it, makes all of that seem a whole lot closer. I can barely look at him without wanting to blurt out ‘marry me’.”

Izzy laughs at that, because it is such an Alec thing, not having any filter about his feelings, especially around Magnus. They get off on the next stop, pushing through the sea of people to get outside, and soon enough they’re entering the department store Alec had written down as the first on his list. Finding the jewelry section, they start browsing around, trying to find something that would suit Magnus. The selection is very small though, and they quickly realize nothing there is going to work. Alec is just pulling his phone out of his pocket to look up the next place on his list when his phone starts ringing. He frowns in surprise and turns the screen towards Izzy, the word _Mom_ lighting it up.

Ever since the divorce, Izzy and Alec’s relationship with their mother has continuously improved, grown more loving and affectionate as opposed to the strictness that bled into coolness their entire childhoods. And each time Izzy sees her, she seems happier and happier, lighter, and Izzy has seen her mother smile more in the past year than she ever has. Still, it’s unlike her to call out of the blue, and none of their birthdays are coming up, so Izzy watches Alec anxiously as he answers, afraid something might have happened.

“Hey, Mom, everything okay? I’m good; Izzy and I are in the city. Oh, okay, yeah, just text me the address. See you there.”

He hangs up and says to Izzy, “Apparently everything is fine, but she’s in the city and wants to see us.”

Izzy’s eyebrows shoot up at that and Alec just shrugs, as unaware of what’s going on as she is. He gets a text a moment later with the location, which isn’t too far from where they are, so they decide to walk there, using that time to speculate why exactly their mother is in the city midweek. She and Max live in White Plains, away from the too busy streets of New York, and yet close enough that they can all see each other rather regularly. Still, their mother rarely comes into the city during the week, partly because of Max, partly because of her work, so whatever the reason that drove her here today, must be important.

Finally, Izzy and Alec arrive at the address, a small coffee shop, and they go inside, finding their mother easily. She’s sitting at a table by the window, and she smiles at them as they make their way to her. She gets up and hugs them, something that still surprises Izzy, but she melts into it, even for those few moments. Alec offers to get him and Izzy drinks, leaving Izzy and Maryse alone.

“You look tired,” Maryse comments, and Izzy can’t help but laugh at that.

“So I’ve been told. My exams are almost over so I promise to catch up on sleep then.”

“Don’t neglect your health, it’s worth more than all that education.”

Izzy makes a salute gesture, earning a smile from her mother, and as much as Izzy wants to know the reason they’re here, she knows Maryse won’t say anything before Alec gets back. And so they sit in a comfortable silence for a few moments until Alec arrives with his and Izzy’s drinks. They’ve both barely stirred in their sugar when Maryse takes a deep breath and says, “I’m sure you’re wondering why I called.” Alec and Izzy exchange a look, but Maryse continues before either of them can say anything. “I wanted to tell you in person, that I’m seeing someone.”

There’s a beat of silence before Alec snaps out of it first, grinning.

“That’s amazing.”

It takes Izzy a moment longer, but she echoes Alec’s words, taking in how their mother’s shoulders fall as she breathes out in relief.

“You’re okay with this?”

“Of course we are, if you’ve found someone who makes you happy, we are all for it,” Alec says. He looks over at Izzy, who nods in agreement, smiling at their mother. It’s a shock, she never thought about Maryse possibly dating again, but seeing her now, Izzy is very glad for it.

“Okay, that’s good, because there’s something else.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?” Izzy blurts out, and Maryse laughs, shaking her head, and it’s then that Izzy finally notices how loosely she styled it, how different it is from the usual tight ponytails and up-dos she wears.

“No, I’m not pregnant,” Maryse reassures them. “It’s about the person I’m seeing. The thing is, you both already know him.”

“Oh my God, you’re the woman Luke has been seeing,” Alec breathes out, eyes comically wide. Maryse seems stunned, at a loss for words, only nodding before Alec continues. “Magnus and I were sure he was seeing someone, but we couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t say anything, it all makes sense now.”

“Yes, we wanted to keep it to ourselves for the first little while. And then, of course, I wanted to tell you two myself, and he wanted to tell Clary, Simon and Maia himself.”

The mention of Maia makes Izzy’s stomach drop. Ever since their not-really-a-date date on Friday, they’ve been talking less, and while part of that is that they’re both still busy, Izzy knows that’s not the whole reason. Because she realized that her feelings for Maia had grown into something dangerous without her even noticing until that night, and that scared the shit out of her.

She shakes her head, like thoughts are that easy to let go of, and she listens as her mother describes how after Magnus’ last birthday party, she and Luke had exchanged numbers, went on a wonderfully awkward first date and she has such a lightness about her as she talks, something so foreign yet so wonderful to see in her. Izzy can’t help but think back to how Maryse used to be around Robert, more like a business partner than a spouse, never kissing or showing affection, especially after Max was born. The woman sitting in front of her now, with a sparkle in her eyes and a genuine smile on her face seems like a completely different person.

“I actually have some news, too,” Alec says. “Izzy and I actually met up to look for an engagement ring.”

Maryse breathes out a surprise laugh and Izzy swears she sees tears in her mother’s eyes as she round the table and hugs Alec tightly.

“I’m so proud of you,” she says, so quiet Izzy barely hears it from her seat. Maryse sits down again, asking if they’d found a ring yet. When Alec explains that they only got to one store before she called, she apologizes and then stops, pulling out her phone.

“There is a lovely family owned jewelry store near Madison Square, I met the owner a few years back, I just have to look up the address.”

And that’s how the three of them end up finding themselves in the small store later, the owner, Lorenzo, thrilled when they heard what Alec was looking for. After almost twenty minutes, they come out of the backroom, a singular velvet box in their hands, and when they open it, Izzy knows that this is it. She looks over at Alec, an expression of complete awe on his face, and within a few minutes Izzy, Maryse and Alec are walking out of the store, a small bag in Alec’s hands, a huge smile on his face.

Throughout the afternoon, Izzy can’t help but notice how happy her mother is, how excited Alec is about the ring. Maybe it’s just the thrill of it all, but she finds herself thinking that maybe love isn’t what she always thought it to be. Maybe her parents’ love falling to pieces was the exception and not the rule; maybe even if you got your heart broken, you could find yourself in love again.

In a leap of faith, glancing at her mother, Izzy pulls out her phone, typing up and sending the text before she thinks too hard about it.

_To: Maia_

_You free to meet up tomorrow?_

* * *

 

Maia looks at her phone, Isabelle’s text still opened and unanswered. It’s an innocent enough looking question, but it’s one that hasn’t been asked for almost a week, and that makes it seem that much more weighted. Maia thinks back to the night she last saw Isabelle, how good and happy she felt, how she thought that maybe, just maybe, the way Isabelle was looking at her meant what Maia wanted it to mean.

Truthfully, she is almost certain it did, all the signs seemed to be there, but then Isabelle had shut herself off, not completely, but Maia definitely felt the sudden distance between them. Part of her wanted to call it out, wanted to work through it as quickly as possible, but she kept holding back. This wasn’t something she could force out of Isabelle, wasn’t something that could be fixed in one conversation. And so she forced herself to wait, give Isabelle her space, and now she lets herself hope that this might be Isabelle reaching out.

She types back a quick response, her hopes rising when the answer is immediate, and they agree to meet up in Central Park tomorrow morning. There’s a knock on her door then, and a moment later, Luke opens the door lightly, and says, “Can you come downstairs for a sec? Family meeting.”

“Yeah, sure,” Maia replies, following him to the kitchen where Clary and Simon are already waiting. She exchanges a look with them, but they just shrug, apparently as unaware of the reason behind this impromptu family meeting. They have them occasionally, and even though Luke is legally only Clary’s father, ever since he adopted her when her mother died, and Simon lives with his family, Luke has always insisted on calling these family meetings.

“I don’t need blood or pieces of paper to be y’all’s father.”

Maia sits down next to Simon, and they all observe Luke for a moment as he paces a bit, takes a deep breath before turning to them, and Maia realizes suddenly that he’s nervous, which makes this family meeting a whole lot more intriguing.

“There’s something I have to tell you, and I wanted you to hear it from me,” Luke starts. “I’ve been seeing someone these past few months.”

“Like, seeing as in dating?” Simon asks and Luke nods.

“I knew it!”

The three of them turn to Maia, eyebrows raised, and she explains, “Come on, he’s been going out to dinners and being all smiley, you must have noticed.”

“Now that you mention it,” Simon trails off, but then stops when he notices Luke watching them carefully. “Oh, we’re totally cool with it, I mean, I think it’s awesome, just not what I was expecting.”

“Yeah, totally, we just want you to be happy,” Clary says, both Maia and Simon nodding along and Luke smiles at them, happy and relieved.

“So, who are they, when do we get to meet them?”

“You kind of already know her. It’s Maryse Lightwood.”

The name hangs in the air for a moment before all three of them start talking at once.

“Alec and Izzy’s mom?” “How did that happen?” “Do they know?” “When’s the family dinner?”

The conversation carries into them making dinner, and Luke promises to talk to Maryse about setting up a lunch or dinner with all of them. He seems so happy to be able to talk about her, to share this with them, and Maia keeps exchanging looks with Simon and Clary, all three of them just smiling at Luke when he asks what’s going on.

“We’re just happy for you.”

At the end of the night, happiness softly buzzing beneath her skin, lights out, laying on her bed, Maia thinks of Isabelle, of seeing her tomorrow, finding that hope has fully settled into her heart, and she falls asleep with a smile on her face.

* * *

 

Izzy is early, she knows she is, and yet anxiety rises in her throat with each moment Maia isn’t there. She checks their messages for the fifth time, making sure she was at the right place at the right time, and just as she’s putting her phone away, she spots Maia walking towards her. She lets out a breath of relief, feeling herself relax as she takes in Maia’s bright smile, as Maia hugs her in greeting. Izzy has missed her, missed being close to her, and if Maia notices that Izzy holds onto her a little longer than usual, she doesn’t comment.

They make small talk as they walk to the lake, finding an unoccupied bench by the water. They sit down, letting the sunlight warm their skin, and it’s then that Maia mentions Luke.

“I was right about him dating,” she says, sounding pretty pleased with herself, but her eyes are questioning as she watches Izzy, but whether it’s because she had mentioned it during their not-really-a-date date, or because she’s unsure if Izzy knows who exactly Luke is dating, Izzy can’t be sure.

“Yes, you were,” Izzy says. “But I don’t think anyone would have guessed he was dating my mother.”

“True,” Maia says, smile growing wider. They sit in silence for a while, and Izzy knows she should say something, but texting someone is a lot less nerve-wracking than trying to talk to them in person. Especially because Izzy has never really had a conversation like one she wants to have with Maia now. Maia’s eyes are on the water, giving Izzy the chance to watch her, and she really is so beautiful, especially like this, bathed in sunlight, a carefree smile on her face.

She turns to Izzy then, catches her watching, but neither of them looks away, and something about Maia’s expression seems so inviting, so encouraging, that words just start flowing out of Izzy.

“I’ve never been in love, and one of the biggest reasons why is because I am terrified of it. I’ve seen what it does to people, what it did to my parents, especially my mother. When Meliorn came along, I was still young and dumb, and while I was never in love with him, what we did have was already overwhelming, I was already messing it up. I wanted to protect my heart, protect the heart of whoever else might get caught in that mess with me, and that was going fine. Until you came along.

“I’m not in love with you, but I feel like I could be, if I gave myself the chance. And I’m not sure exactly why, but I want to give myself that chance. With you, if that’s what you want, too.”

Izzy feels almost out of breath, and she can feel her heart hammering inside her chest, ready to burst at any moment. The look on Maia’s face is gentle, but completely unreadable outside of that, and Izzy knows she just dropped an emotional bomb on her, and yet she just needs Maia to say something, anything. After a few moments that feel like hours, the corners of Maia’s lips tug upwards, forming the most beautiful smile, and she slowly, carefully, lifts a hand to Izzy’s cheek.

Leaning into the touch, Izzy revels in the warmth of it, the softness of Maia’s hand, and then Maia is leaning forward, moving just as slowly and carefully as she did before. Izzy is the one that fully closes the distance between them, and the kiss is warm and right, little noises getting caught between their lips, the world around them fading into the background, and Izzy’s only thought is a content, startled _oh_.

“I want that, too. With you,” Maia whispers when they pull away, but only barely, Maia’s lips brushing against Izzy’s as she speaks. Izzy can’t help but smile at her, happier than she’s felt in a long time, and she kisses Maia again briefly, both their smiles too wide for anything more. Maia then wraps an arm around Izzy’s shoulders, pulling her close to her side, and Izzy thinks that this feels like something worth believing in.

 

 _Do you remember, we were sittin' there, by the water?_  
You put your arm around me, for the first time  
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter  
You are the best thing, that's ever been mine

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> hi, thank you for reading! i hope you enjoyed this first chapter and i hope the rest of the will come sooner rather than later. have a lovely day <3


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